We have spent most of the past two weeks in Des Moines for our annual summer trip. These trips always revolve around the pool and sure enough within 5 minutes of our arrival (at 9:45pm!) both Jude and Anna were in the pool. And they spent time in the pool every single day. Below is a shot of Uncle Nathan propelling Jude to the other end of the pool – which he loved of course.

All the cousins got along really well for the most part and here they are all goofing around on our first morning there.

But the trip wasn’t all spent by the pool. There were lots of activities including fishing (where Jude caught plenty of fish), some time at the Iowa State Fair, the Science Center, Living History Farms, (which both Jude and Anna said was their favorite) as well as lots of activities and games around the house. Here is Jude showing off his first fish.

Marcy and I were able to get away for a couple of days by ourselves which was fantastic. We chose Dubuque this time where a friend of ours is from. We stayed at his great grandparents mansion which was turned into a bed and breakfast. We stayed Monday to Wednesday so we ended up having the place to ourselves. Here is Marcy reading outside with a beautiful view of the Mississippi River. We stayed in the end unit on the top floor which was actually a two bedroom suite. Awesome.

We were back in Des Moines less  than 48 hours before leaving for home. The drive was uneventful and we arrived back home at 8:30pm on Friday night.

We have had a pretty low key weekend and both kids spent a lot of time playing with their toys. But the big news is today both Jude and Anna got their first pet. They had to choose a low maintenance pet and it was between a fish and a frog. Jude initially said he wanted a frog but changed him mind when Anna chose a fish. They each have a Betta in a bowl. Here is Jude admiring his new friend that he named Blue Scale, with the fish bowl decoration of the Cat in the Hat. This is a learning experience for both Jude and Anna and if they do well we will consider a dog or cat down the road but they have to take care of their fish all by themselves.